MediaRadar Blog

Native: An Ad Sales Knockout – SIIA

Native is a knockout! It’s the power play in chess that gives publishers more ad dollars and marketers more awareness. It’s also changing our perception of media by blurring the lines between the black and white reality between editorial content and contrast to standard square ads. Characterized by fun titles and flashy pictures from millennial-centric BuzzFeed to more thought-provoking, research-driven articles in Forbes—native runs the gamut. More so than any other type of ads, native has the propensity to go viral immediately.

So what’s the publisher POV for native? Demand for native is up 262% in the last 19 months according to multi-media ad sales intelligence platform, MediaRadar’s analysis. Last month, 2,265 advertisers purchased native. Each month 610 new advertisers run native ads. This represents a tremendous opportunity for publishers!

How can native drive new business, build on existing relationships and replenish an abundance of authentic content? Industries adopt native differently. The top four early adopter industries are professional services (including consulting, politics and law), media and entertainment, finance and real estate, and technology. An average native campaign runs for approximately two months, according to MediaRadar.

The biggest takeaway in native campaigns—and capacity for improvement—remain in renewal rates. The YOY average renewal rate for native is only 33% for advertisers. Encourage native advertisers to buy native ad bundles or target large parent companies with multiple products for year-long retainer type native buy—so the advertisers can endorse a family of brands.

Offering options from premium native (publishers who create native in-house) to a traditional ad buy model (where advertisers provide native in entirety) gives advertisers more opportunities. The most important thing in a forever-evolving digital landscape is to constantly adapt market inventory of ad formats sold, educate advertisers on ROI of each format and give advertisers choices. Some advertisers still want autonomy in developing ad creative or are already locked into relationships with agencies. Act as a liaison between agency and brand to gain more native business and become an invaluable partner.

Native gives brands more value and the power to take a stance without the ad to editorial divide, and empowers readers to learn more independently without the ostensible ‘push’ and ‘pull’ of traditional advertising. Native blends the pragmatic with the enjoyable. It’s entertaining or informative content that ‘sticks’ with readers. It’s also the knockout move that gives ad sales teams the upper hand to win more ad dollars.

Learn more about the power of native advertising on Wednesday, Sept. 28 at 2 pm. Ari Lewine, co-founder of TripleLift, and I will show you how to get the most from native advertising and to answer all of your questions about this high CPM ad format. Register here for this free event.